


Close

by JellyfishPoetry



Series: The Closest Is An Infinitive Distance [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2017-10-16
Packaged: 2019-01-18 07:17:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12383475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JellyfishPoetry/pseuds/JellyfishPoetry
Summary: The morning after the night they shared together. The morning before the final battle with Zarkon.(Basically what happened between chapter 24 and 25)





	Close

Keith nestled against warm skin, refusing to open his eyes in favor of blindly felt happiness. Shiro’s heartbeat was a soothing constant under his fingertips. Lying here still perfectly entangled, Keith silently asked himself if they’d simply stayed in this position after falling sleep. If he’d had a say in this, they could stay like this forever, but he knew they didn’t have this luxury. He sighed contently against Shiro’s chest when gentle fingers ran through his hair, pushing the thought of what to come as far away as possible.

“Good morning,” Shiro mumbled, his voice thick with sleep. Keith smiled brightly, feeling warmth spread in his chest. He knew what waking up in a room with Shiro was like, knew how he looked and sounded right after waking up In all its familiarity, though, today was completely different. He’d never woken up in his arms, naked and warm. He’d never been _that_ happy.

“Morning,” he answered, rubbing his cheek against Shiro’s skin. The chuckle his action elicited resonated deep within his body. Shiro put both arms around his waist to pull him impossibly close. It pushed the air out of Keith’s lungs in a sudden rush, but he didn’t mind.

“Just ‘morning’?” Shiro queried. “Not a good one?”

Finally, Keith opened his eyes, blinking up at Shiro. He was met with a look so soft and loving it felt like something inside his chest opened wide with a tingling sensation.  
“It’s the most amazing morning I’ve ever had in my life,” he whispered before leaning up to kiss Shiro. He tasted a bit sour, but he just couldn’t care less. It was perfect. The heat and urgency from last night was gone, but the tenderness still lingered. Slowly, he rolled himself on top of Shiro, eager to get even closer. The tiny ‘hmpf’-noise Shiro made when he settled on him with all his weight got lost in another kiss.

“Was last night.. ok?” Shiro asked once they had broken apart. The slight look of concern on his face made Keith snort silently.

Keith snorted. “More than ok.”

“Are you sure?”

“Shiro.. “

“Ok, ok. Sorry. I’m just.. still a bit.. worried that we rushed into that. It was your first time, after all. And you only get one go at that.”

Keith nodded. “I’m glad it was with you. I trust you, Shiro, you’re my best friend and I don’t regret anything we did.” He blinked up at Shiro, a bit uncertain. “Do you?”

“No! No, not at all.” Shiro almost looked shocked at the question and Keith smiled at him in relief. They’d danced so long around each other in uncertainty that last night still felt a bit unreal, like Shiro and what they’d shared would disappear any minute and leave him with only dream-like memories. But Keith was determined to keep his memories alive. And make more.

“Good. And next time we get to do it, we’ll try something else.”

“You’re eager,” Shiro snorted.

“Patience was never my strong suit. You might feel like we’ve rushed into this but _I_ have been wanting to do this for more than a _year_.”

Shiro just snorted again. “I know, I know. It’s not like I haven’t been thinking about it. But.. usually you don’t go from nothing to like.. all the way. We could have done other things, first.”

Keith only shrugged his shoulders. “I know. But.. it was good. More than good.” Keith closed his eyes for a moment. It _had_ been his first time and everything he’d said to Shiro was true, you only got one go at it. He was glad he’d shared this experience with Shiro. To Keith, last night had been perfect and anything he could have dreamed of. No matter where life would take him, Shiro and that night would always be burned in his memory. Shiro would always be his first.

“What.. was your first time like?” Somehow, he needed to know. He’d always share the memory of his first time with him, but.. there’d been someone else in Shiro’s life before.

“You sure you want to talk ex-boyfriends, _now_?” Shiro chuckled lightly, but Keith knew him well enough to notice the tinge of tension in his voice.

Boyfriends. Keith would lie if he’d say the thought of Shiro with another man didn’t sting, especially after last night. But he knew those things lay in the past and there was no reason for him to worry. All that mattered was now and the future ahead of them.

Were they boyfriends? Keith assumed the answer was yes, but a part of him was too scared to ask. How was he supposed to ask something like that, anyway?

“I didn’t ask about the guy just.. how.. was it.. for you?” It was only partly a lie. Keith wondered who the guy had been, how Shiro had felt about him, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Shiro _liked_ him, Keith didn’t doubt that. But had he been as important to Shiro as Shiro was to him, now? What had happened? Why did they break up? Keith couldn’t imagine his life without Shiro and the thought of him just _leaving_ felt.. strange. Painful.

Shiro nodded thoughtfully. “My first time was.. ok. Over way too quick.” He grinned at Keith and Keith grinned back at him. “I was young, ok?” He almost sounded defensively. “But well.. I wasn’t sure what all the fuss was about. Sure, it felt good but.. it wasn’t as earth-shattering as I’d imagined.”

“I don’t know, man. Last night was pretty earth-shattering for me.” Keith winked.

Shiro laughed as his hands wandered further down Keith’s back, shamelessly squeezing his butt as soon as he reached it. Keith’s grin only grew wider.

“I never knew you were such a smooth talker,” Shiro whispered playfully.

“There are a lot of things you don’t know about be,” Keith breathed before leaning up do kiss Shiro. He was very aware of how the simple motion of leaning up made his naked body rub against Shiro’s. The hands on his butt, squeezing again, indicated that Shiro was, too. If only they’d had more time.

“Last night was pretty earth-shattering to me as well. I want to do so many things to you once we’re back at the castle..” Shiro hummed low into the next kiss. “It’s different when it’s with someone you truly love.”

Keith’s head swam with Shiro’s words. They’d both confessed their feelings last night, but hearing it once again without the passion thudding through his veins was different. It flushed away any thought of Shiro with another guy that had been important to him once in the past.

“Paladins! Time to get up and ready!” He almost crashed his forehead against Shiro’s head when loud alarm rang through the room and Coran’s voiced quaked through the speaker. Keith’s groan almost drowned out the following information on how long they had until breakfast and until their plan would be set into action.

“I guess we should get up and.. take a shower.”

Keith let out a deep sigh. “I don’t want to get up.”

“Me neither. But..”

“..There’s no other choice, I know. This is bigger than us.”

Shiro smiled. He pulled Keith closer to press a kiss on his forehead, then carefully pushed him off himself. Keith immediately shivered when he pulled the blanket off of both of them and the cold air hit his still Shiro-warm skin. He really didn’t want to leave the safety of their bed, but he knew he _had_ no choice. This _was_ bigger than them. The universe needed Voltron.

Shiro groaned sitting up at the edge of the bed, letting his joints pop. “By the way..” He turned around once more to look at Keith. “Last night was a first for me as well. Two firsts, actually”

“Huh?”

Shiro stood up completely and Keith couldn’t help but let his eyes wander over his naked body. He was quickly distracted when Shiro held up one finger and wiggled it in front of his face.

“One: First time I had sex with an alien.”

Keith threw a pillow at him but Shiro dodged it with a snicker.

“Ok, ok. _Half_ alien.” Shiro obviously tried to school his face into a more serious expression, only for the façade to crack seconds later.

“Second:,” He held up a second finger, grinning at Keith who tried to glared at him but failed immensely. “I’ve never had unsafe sex before.”

“Let’s just hope I didn’t give you alien herpes,” Keith deadpanned.

“You think that’s a thing?” Shiro looked at him with mock-concern.

“Can I have this pillow back, please? I’d like to throw it again.”

Shiro giggled and Keith was unable to maintain his death glare. It had been a while since Shiro had been that relaxed and happy and he tried to drink in every tiny detail of it. The way the area around his eyes crinkled, how his shoulders shook when he laughed without holding back.. he was beautiful like that.

“Come on, we should take that shower and get ready.” Shiro held out his right hand for Keith, wiping at his eyes with the other. Keith contemplated taking his hand for a moment and pulling him back to bed, but he decided against it. Shiro was right, they had to get ready and so he just let himself be pulled up and along.

“I like holding your hand like this,” Shiro told him once they’d entered the adorning shower. As if to empathize his statement, he pulled Keith closer, pulled up his hand to his face and kissed his fingers in one fluid motion. Keith felt heat rising to his cheeks. Was he blushing? He usually wasn’t the type to blush.

“I like everything we do together.” Keith’s voice sounded raspier than usual. Shiro smiled softly and pulled him a bit closer to wrap his arms around his waist. Keith immediately melted against his body. He just wished they could stay like this forever.. or at least a bit longer before going into battle. He was desperate to stay as close to Shiro, to feel him as much as possible. There was so much he wanted to say, so much he wanted to do. Time was short, fleeting, and Keith was desperate to get as much out of it as possible before they had to part.

“Do you usually shower hot or cold?” Shiro pushed himself away from Keith way too soon to step into the shower. Keith followed.

“Uhm.. something in between?”

Shiro chuckled. “Good, me, too.” He pressed a few buttons on the shower and Keith shivered slightly when the water started pouring down on them. He shivered slightly.

“Too cold?”

“A little.” Keith was used to cold water, living alone in the desert hadn’t exactly showered him in luxuries. But since he’d started living in the castle, he had kind of gotten use again to warmer showers.

Shiro pushed another button and the water started warming up a bit. “Better?”

Keith nodded.

“Good,” Shiro sighed contently as the water poured down his body. Keith watched him as he closed his eyes for a moment. “Then.. let’s get you cleaned up.”

“What about you?” Keith grinned. “Don’t act like I’m the only filthy one, here.”

Shiro snorted. “I wouldn’t call you filthy.”

Keith grabbed a bottle of shower gel and threw it at Shiro. “Whatever. Less talking, more getting ready.”

“Someone’s bossy today,” Shiro chided with a smile. He opened the bottle to put some of the gel into his hands. Keith had expected him to start cleaning himself, but instead he took a step closer to him and rubbed his soapy hands over his arms and chest. Keith closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. It was a nice feeling. Shiro’s hands roamed his body carefully and Keith liked that he could still feel his rough pads of his fingers through the creamy soap. He let Shiro continue his ministrations for a while, feeling his body relax into his hands.

“How come you’re so small?”

“…What?” Keith blinked up at Shiro in confusion.

“Every other Galra is pretty big, right? So why are you so small?” He gave Keith a lopsided smile.

“Is this going to be a thing? Are you going to mock my heritage whenever you can?” Keith tried sounding annoy, but the tiny smile on his lips betrayed him. Shiro was just teasing him and he was

glad that he was able to do that. If nothing else, it was a proof that Shiro truly didn’t mind that he was part Galra.

“I’m not mocking your heritage. I’m just thinking loud.”

“Maybe you should think silent, then.” Keith took the bottle from Shiro to give him the same treatment he was getting. Shiro grinned but held up his hands in surrender before letting them fall to his sides. Keith started with rubbing soap over his arms and got of bit lost when it came to his broad chest. It was self-indulgenced, but he knew Shiro wouldn’t mind being touched like that. The way his breath hitched when he not-so-accidently brushed over his nipples was enough to prove his point.

“Do you really want to look after your family once we’ve defeated Zarkon?”

Keith’s hand stilled over Shiro’s chest.

“Yeah, I.. guess. I mean..” He took a deep breath, trying to still the turmoil that started to twirl through his mind whenever he thought about it. Talking to Shiro had always been easy because he trusted him. Why was this still so hard, then? “My.. mother.” He swallowed hard. “Maybe my father didn’t.. lie? I mean.. not that he was really lying. You know he told me my mother was living with the stars now and when I got older I thought she.. she..”

“That she had died,” Shiro provided quietly, brushing a strand of wet hair out of Keith’s face.

“Yes. But maybe.. Maybe she truly _was_ living with the stars? Maybe she just.. left me..”

Shiro pulled him into a tight hug the exact moment Keith felt his throat closing up too much to speak. His hands desperately clawed at slippery wet shoulders as the tears began to spill. Maybe his mother had left him. The thought had been haunting him for days now.  
_Why_? Had she decided he wasn’t worth the trouble? Had she decided not to love him?

“We don’t know what happened, yet,” Shiro mumbled into his hair. “But I’m sure your mother didn’t want to leave you.”

“And what makes you so sure of that?” Keith had wanted to spat the sentence, but his voice was too wobbly to sound anything near angry.

“Because you’re her son and you’re amazing.” He heard the kiss being pressed on his head more than he felt it. “And.. because the way your father decided to raise you and how he disappeared always made me a bit.. suspicious.”

Keith leaned more firmly against Shiro’s body, actively seeking comfort for the first time ever. Shiro’s words reached his brain with a bit of a delay through a pulsing haze clouding his mind. “What do you mean?”

Shiro had started rubbing tiny circles on his back. “You lived in a tiny shack far away from any civilization. To me it sounded like he.. went into hiding. And the way he just vanished? The people picking you up even though no one should have known you were out there alone? I don’t know. Something about all seems fishy. Maybe your parents didn’t leave out of their own volition.”

Some deep-felt familiar panic surged up from deep inside of Keith at those words. He pressed his eyes closed and willed himself to push the feeling as far away as possible. He didn’t want to be scared or sad. Not now. Did it even matter why they’d left? Why _she’d_ left? Would it hurt less if she’d had a reason? Shiro left him without wanting to when he got kidnapped by the Galra and he’d still been mad with grief. Unconsciously, Keith pressed closer against Shiro’s body, his heartbeat hammering against his skin.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t want to kill the mood.”

“You didn’t. It’s ok, baby.” Shiro kissed his head again.

“Baby?” Keith chuckled. “ _Seriously_?”

“I’ll drop it immediately if you don’t like it.”

Keith pushed himself from Shiro far enough to look into his eyes. “I think I can live with baby.”

“So generous.” Shiro leaned in to press a tiny kiss on his nose.

“Weirdo.” Keith tried to glare at him again but couldn’t suppress the smile on his lips when he kissed him. Shiro pulled him closer once more, deepening the kiss with a sudden intensity that stole Keith’s breath. His heartbeat hadn’t had the change to calm down, but now it continued his race for an entirely different reason.

“Do you think we have enough time?” He breathed against Keith’s mouth when they broke apart.

“Enough time for what?”

“To show you that you really didn’t kill the mood.”

***

He’d known Keith for a long time, now, but there were so many things that were new to him. The serene smile on Keith’s face was something Shiro tried to memories as precisely as possible, along with the tiny noises of happiness he made every time they kissed. Currently though, Shiro tried to refrain from kissing him so they could finally get ready before the other might come and start looking for them. So he just ruffled his hair when he passed him by him.

“Come on, you need to get dressed.”

“Can’t.” Keith grinned up at him with still half-lidded eyes.

“Oh no, did I break you?” Shiro put his hand over his heart, feigning concern. “I guess I have to refrain from any sexual activities in the near future, then.”

He tried to hide his grin behind a cough when Keith nearly tripped over his feet as he scrambled off the bed.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” he declared snorting, picking up the towel once more to dry his hair.

“Now I know how to get you all motivated.”

“I hope you use your power over me wisely.”

Shiro smiled. He ached to kiss Keith again, but even though they probably still had enough time left not to get into a rush, they shouldn’t dally any longer. Planning today out with Allura and Kolivan the other night meant that he _knew_ the Paladins would get their wake-up call extra early to avoid any of them – but especially Lance – running late. So.. even after their little adventure in the shower, they should still be on time. Or at least not significantly late.

There was no more time to get distracted, so he tried not to notice how beautiful Keith looked half naked with still damp-wild hair. He would revel in it once they got home.

_If_ they got home, a tiny voice inside of Shiro’s head commented with a sinking feeling. There was no guarantee their plan would work or that they’d win even if it did. It was a chance, nothing more. And some of them might not got to see the end of this battle. Shiro knew no matter what was going to happen today, he couldn’t let it get in the way of defeating Zarkon. His own feelings were trivial to the sake of the entire universe. Although when he glanced at Keith, this knowledge felt like a lie.

For a moment, Shiro took the time to really look at Keith once more. He was done drying off his hair and had started getting into his suit. Suddenly, every breath Shiro took watching him felt like a stab to his heart, and it only got worse when Keith finally pulled his suit up all the way and turned around to look back at him.

It was time. They were ready to go into battle, but Shiro didn’t feel ready to _leave_. His feet were glued to the floor and he had to fight for every breath he took.

“Everything ok?” Keith watched him with a slightly concerned look.

Shiro opened his mouth to answer, but no words would come out. _No. Not now._ Images of Keith, beaten and bloodied flashed before his eyes. Some of them he recognized from his dreams, but some of them had already found their way into reality through the trials of Marmora. What if more of those images lay ahead in his near future? Keith’s dead eyes staring at him blankly as his body lay broken on the floor. Shiro’s muscles grew tense and the air in his lungs seized and he felt the wetness on his cheeks as tears started to spill from his eyes. Distantly, he heard Keith calling his name, saw him in from of his face alive and well through a thick fog. Was this real? Was any of this real?

The feeling of fingers gripping his upper arms hard hurtled him violently back to the presence in an instant and Shiro gasped.

“I’m here, you’re ok, Shiro. Just take deep breaths.”

Shiro complied, letting his head fall against Keith’s forehead. His damp hair tickled his skin.

‘This thing between us is never going to be easy,’ he thought idly, the truth of it sinking in slowly. Maybe before Kerberos, before the Galra, they’d had a chance of an easy future together. But now? They both had their own emotional baggage and a lot to work through together once they’d find the time. But easy or not, Shiro _wanted_ this. He knew he could trust Keith to always be a strong and supportive presence at his side. And he knew Keith trusted him enough to allow himself to be vulnerable and open around him and being nothing less strong and beautiful in this vulnerability. He let out a shaky breath as he put his arms around Keith to ground himself. _This is real._

“Better?” Keith asked, the concern still obvious in his voice. Shiro didn’t trust himself with words right now. Although the fog around him had disappeared as fast as it had come over him, his heartbeat still hadn’t quite returned to normal. He could still distantly _feel_ the images that had caused his panic attack looming in the back of his mind. Regardless, he willed his slightly shaking hands into stillness as he cradled Keith’s head in them. He dipped his chin up so he could lean down to press a chaste kiss to his lips. _Better_.

“We should get going,” Shiro said quietly against Keith’s lips.

“Are you.. sure?”

“We don’t really have a choice. If we stay, the other will be looking for us.”

“Let them come.” Keith pressed another kiss to Shiro’s lips.

“You said Lance might explode if he finds out about us.”

“Like I said: Let them come.” Keith smirked at him.

“Keith…”

“Yeah, I know. We don’t have enough time left to find a new blue paladin.”

“I think we really need to get you two to do some bonding exercises once we’re back.”

“Oh, don’t you _dare_.”

Shiro chuckled as he pulled away and started walking towards the door. He still felt shaken, but he needed to pull through this. He had no other choice, the team needed him. The universe needed him. “Then _behave_.”

Keith rolled his eyes at him with a smile on his lips. Shiro knew there was no real will ill between them, but he’d still like them to become friendlier towards each other. But that was a battle to fight _after_ they’d faced Zarkon.

“You go out first,” Shiro told Keith when he reached the door. “It’s your room, after all. Make sure no one’s in the hallway.”

“As if you’ve never been seen coming out of my room, before.” Keith crooked an eyebrow at him as he approached.

“Let’s call it a precaution. After the battle, we can tell everyone and there’ll be no secrets. But right now, I don’t want any distractions for the team.”

“Alright, big boy,” Keith said casually as he opened the door and peeked outside. When he took his first step into the hallway, he pinched Shiro’s butt in passage. Shiro only managed to keep in a much undignified surprised yelp.

“I said no distractions!”

Keith winked at him. “No one’s here, so come on.”

Shiro grinned at him with an exasperated shake of his head. He liked this cocky version of Keith, who was not scared to tease and act on his desires. Keith had often shown a tendency to mask his emotions, especially in front of the team. That someone so private could be so open around him filled Shiro with pride.. Although he had no idea why Keith had decided to trust him, he was desperate not to betray this trust.

A quick look around when he followed him outside concerned that Keith had been correct and they truly were alone. They started walking towards the lounge in silence with Shiro being aware of every movement Keith made. He didn’t feel ready to act as if nothing had happened between them, yet every step they took brought them further to this charade. Who knew when he got to kiss him again?

Shiro acted before he even knew what he was doing. He whirled around, pulling Keith with him with a swift grab on his wrist and pushed him against a wall. Keith gasped in surprise.  
“What..?”

Shiro silenced him with a passionate kiss, his teeth clicking against Keith’s in a sudden, primal need. Keith moaned quietly against his lips and Shiro shivered at the sound, taking it all in as hands grabbed at his body.

“You’re distracting me,” Keith complained breathlessly when Shiro’s mouth left his lips to kiss his neck. Shiro wanted to bite, wanted to press closer, wanted to use their time alone together as long as possible.. But when he heard distant chatter, the reality of how exposed they were right now crashed over him. He kissed Keith’s lips one last time before he took a step back. Keith was still leaning against the wall, staring at him with a lopsided grin. He panted heavily, but Shiro didn’t fare any better.

“You’re really bad at following your own rules.”

Shiro chuckled, slightly embarrassed. “It’s your fault.”

“ _How_?”

“You were.. too gorgeous.”

“I was just walking.”

“Yes, and we should be walking again. The others are waiting.”

“You sure you can _behave_ yourself this time?”

“Let’s find out.”

Keith chuckled but pushed himself from the wall. Shiro watched him as he combed through his hair with his fingers, wanting to slap his hands away to do it himself but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop touching Keith again if he did.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, not holding hands, but letting their fingers brush against each other every so often. Shiro felt warmth spread through his whole body, starting from where

Keith’s fingers touched his skin. He needed to get this goofy grin off his face before they’d met the team.

“Finally!” Lance threw his hands in the air as soon as they entered the room in a dramatic gesture. “Where have you two been?” A quick look confirmed that everyone was indeed already there.

Keith only shrugged his shoulders and met Lance’s stare with a bored look.

“Strategizing.”

***

Shiro sighed. It was time. He was on his way to the Black Lion to lure Zarkon to their position. It was a risky plan, but it was worth it.

“Shiro, wait!”

Shiro turned around, smiling at the sound of Keith’s voice. He didn’t even get to turn around fully when Keith collided with his body, wrapping his arms around his middle.

“Whoa, Keith,” he chuckled. It had been hard to let go after their breakfast and short briefing. He’d wanted to kiss him goodbye so badly, but the other had been watching.  
Carefully, he turned around fully in Keith’s embrace and wrapped him into his arms. Their faces where close, but they were not kissing.

Keith sighed against Shiro’s soft and warm lips.

“I don’t want to let you go,” he whispered. There was too much to say, too much to discover to go back to their lives just now. But the universe needed them. And it would be selfish to let it wait. Every lost second meant lost lives.. They had to go.

“I don’t want to go,” Shiro whispered back, pulling him close one last time. “But we have to do the right thing.”

Keith pressed their foreheads together. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

And with that, he had to let go.

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't ready to let them go (there'll probably be more).  
> thank you for reading :) kudos and comments are more than welcome! special thanks to SymphonyOfThiseves for talking to me about this little story on tumblr and making me smile with your drawings <3


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